The types of heads utilized on a specific project are determined by the dimensions of the area being covered, the water pressure available for operation, and a variety of other factors. Choose between a spray or rotor.

Spray Heads

Spray heads spray water in specific circular patterns and can be changed at your discretion. Spacing between sprinklers varies depending upon the specific nozzle that is installed in the head. To operate efficiently, units should rarely be spaced further than 15 ft apart and should be supplied with 20-30 PSI of water pressure. Ideal for smaller, fragmented, hard-to-reach areas, these heads discharge 2-3 times the water of a rotor.

Rotors

Rotor heads also disperse water in circular patterns. However, these are used to cover larger areas of un-interrupted space. Small rotors tend to cover radii of 15-52 feet and large rotors can be designed to cover radii of up to 100 feet. To operate efficiently, rotors need to be supplied with more water pressure than spray heads. The PSI level should approximately equal the space between each installed unit. There are two basic types of rotary heads, categorized by the mechanism that causes the sprinkler to rotate. These types are impact rotors and gear-driven rotors.

Sprinkler Head Design

Once you have chosen either a spray or a rotor, you must next determine what sprinkler style will best meet the needs of your irrigation area. Choose between either a pop-up or fixed design.

Pop-Up

This is the most common design selected by consumers. Installed below the ground, the sprinkler head remains out of sight while inactive. Accordingly, it will not corrupt or compromise the aesthetic beauty of your landscape. Furthermore, there wont be any pipes sticking out of the ground for you and your children to either destroy or trip over. Once the sprinkler system is turned on, a small portion of the head will emerge above the surface to disperse water to the irrigation area.

]]>https://graduatefarmer.co.ke/2019/01/09/how-to-select-the-right-sprinkler-system/feed/17520KBL Demand for Sorghum pushes up farmer profitshttps://graduatefarmer.co.ke/2018/11/29/kbl-demand-for-sorghum-pushes-up-farmer-profits/
https://graduatefarmer.co.ke/2018/11/29/kbl-demand-for-sorghum-pushes-up-farmer-profits/#respondThu, 29 Nov 2018 15:30:49 +0000https://graduatefarmer.co.ke/?p=7492Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL)’s entry into the sorghum market for keg beer production holds the potential to raise farmers’ profitability by up to 220 percent and contribute to addressing food insecurity, according to a newly published research paper.

In line with the government’s Big 4 Agenda on food security and manufacturing, and given their extensive experience contracting over 45,000 sorghum farmers in Kenya, KBL partnered with Egerton University’s Tegemeo Institute to produce a research paper titled “Sorghum Production In Kenya” with the objective of sharing knowledge and best practices.

The paper details how sorghum crop has resurged to claim its place as both a cash crop and the growing potential to provide food security solutions. It evaluates sorghum production in Kenya, farmer characteristics, availability of inputs, and opportunities for sorghum growers in the global market.

“We are not only providing a ready market with our forward contracts with over 45k farmers, but also playing a catalytic role to inject growth and recognition of the sorghum crop” said Jane Karuku, KBL managing director, during the launch event. “The introduction of Senator Keg beer provided a pull factor for sorghum to claim its space as a cash crop”

She added, “Our belief is that the cro

(From Left) EABL Group Corporate Relations Director Eric Kiniti , in company of Kenya Breweries Limited Managing Director Jane Karuku, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Prof. Fred Sigor and Director Tegemeo Institute, Egerton University Dr. Ayieko Miltone, showcase the newly launched white paper on sorghum production in Kenya by KBL during a forum on accelerating growth in the agricultural sector held at the University of Nairobi towers.

p will develop further to continue offering food security and income from selling locally and even globally to improve standards of living in Kenya”

KBL and Tegemeo Institute launched the paper during a forum on ‘Sorghum Farming’ at the University of Nairobi attended by Principal Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Prof Fred Segor and other key stakeholders in the agricultural sector.

“One such crop that has the potential to eradicate poverty and end severe food insecurity is sorghum. This is because sorghum is tolerant to drought and can survive under a wide range of soils” says the report. “The expanding demand for sorghum beer targeting low income consumers as a cheap and safe alternative to illicit liquors has been a pull factor in the sorghum beer value chain. This has created vast opportunities among value chain actors”

The Principal Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation commended KBL’s efforts towards improving sorghum farming in Kenya and encouraged more public-private partnerships in order to tap into the potential of sorghum as a cash crop and a solution to food insecurity.

“We are happy with the work that KBL is doing towards promoting sorghum farming in the country and creating earning opportunities for thousands of farmers across the country. This a good example of corporates that are contributing to the realization of the Big 4 Agenda; having contracted over 45,000 sorghum farmers across the country,” said Prof Fred Segor.

“With the onset of climate change, the launch of the white paper has come at an opportune time when we are encouraging farmers to grow drought resistant crops such as sorghum. The onus is on us as stakeholders in the agriculture sector to realize the importance of crops such as sorghum in attaining food security and join hands in driving growth in production and utilization,” added Segor.

Head of Spectral Labs, Centre for Soils and Fertilizer research In Africa (CESFRA), Mercy Nyambura (Left) in company of Land Health Scientist, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) Dr Ermias Ayenkulu (Right) share critical information about Sila Sorghum seedlings and environmental challenges with Philomina Nkatha, a farmer from Meru county. This was during the launch of a white paper on sorghum production in Kenya by KBL.

KBL Managing Director Jane Karuku assured farmers and partners on the company’s commitment to continue promoting white sorghum production in the country.

“We are leading in the drive for sorghum commercialization in Kenya through contractual farming, and are committed to continue providing support and a ready market to our farmers. We also want to encourage further partnerships with the government and within the private sector. Thus the reason the forum discussions were important in driving this agenda and by bringing agriculture experts together,” added Karuku.

Data from the paper shows that there are approximately 40,000 small-scale sorghum farmers with farm sizes ranging from 0.4 to 0.6 Ha (1 to 1.5 acres) in the country. The introduction of sorghum beer in the market has provided an opportunity to improve production and welfare for sorghum farmers.

As part of their sustainability strategy to acquire 100 per cent of raw materials from local sources by 2020, and to meet the high demand for Senator Keg, KBL aims to double the market for sorghum as a cash crop from 20,000 metric tonnes to around 40,000 tonnes in the next five years.

]]>https://graduatefarmer.co.ke/2018/11/29/kbl-demand-for-sorghum-pushes-up-farmer-profits/feed/07492How to succeed in vegetable farminghttps://graduatefarmer.co.ke/2018/11/23/how-to-succeed-in-vegetable-farming/
https://graduatefarmer.co.ke/2018/11/23/how-to-succeed-in-vegetable-farming/#commentsFri, 23 Nov 2018 07:07:57 +0000https://graduatefarmer.co.ke/?p=7487When you first read or hear about farming success stories the first thing that goes through your mind is how farming can also work for you. The media makes farming in Kenya (especially horticulture) so easy but there are a lot of factors that you need to take into consideration before investing all your money into growing crops.

Soil Testing and Compositing

You need to test your soil before you start growing anything on your farm. There are many soil testing companies in Kenya and all you have to do is give them a call, pay a small fee and get a breakdown of your soil. This will help you know the status of your soil and you can improve it to get better yields.

Once you have the tests you can now begin making improvements on your farm based on the recommendations listed in the report. A good way to do this is by adding compost to your soil. Compost is an inexpensive alternative to chemical fertilizers, and it is less likely to harm sensitive roots. Chemical fertilizers can be extremely harsh on plants. It also enriches soil, helping retain moisture and suppress plant diseases and pests. Encourages the production of beneficial bacteria and fungi that break down organic matter to create humus, a rich nutrient-filled material.

Planning

General farm planning is a crucial step that should not be skipped. Don’t try to briefly analyze your farm performance, expenses and profit in your mind and rush into planting. Put everything in writing and calculate all the risks and opportunities you have. Create a solid, realistic business plan that is specifically suited for you. Please remember what works for another farmer in Kenya may not work for you. Get his right and choose the crop that works for you. Asses your market and put all this in your farm business plan. This will help you as you move forward.

Planting

Before planting, there’s a lot of planning such as how long it will take the plant to grow and whether it is in season. You have to make sure your read the instructions to know how far apart the seeds should be planted. It only takes a quick minute to learn how to plant seeds. I like planting because once it starts growing, you get all excited because all your hard work is sprouting.If you not always on the farm make sure you have a good, experienced farm manager who will take care of the plants for you. I insist, look for a GOOD, EXPERIENCED farm manager. This guy will play a big part in your farm success. You should also invest in a water timer to make work efficient and get insurance of your crops getting water in days the manager or you will not be around.

Watering

Watering is one of the most important parts of farming. We always water the plants after planting the seeds to “tell” the plants it is time to grow. After a few days, you will see a little sprout come out. To make sure the plants have enough water, we set up irrigation lines (Drip irrigation and sprinklers). If the plants don’t have enough water, they will grow slower, and the quality of the production won’t be as good as the ones that do have enough water. Also, plants can die from lack of water. We don’t water the beds when it is hot because it would dry up quickly. Morning and evening are the best times for watering plants.

Weeding

Weeds are usually a big nuisance! As soon as you clear out a patch of weeds, they grow right soon after, like a lizard’s tail. Weeds interfere with your farm objective and lower your chances of getting a good harvest drastically. They compete for resources with your plants thus draining them making them unproductive. Make sure to weed at least 2-3 times per season.

Harvesting

When you harvest, you have to make sure that you don’t damage the leaves by soaking them in too much water when you wash them. You also have to make sure that you pull the plant by the roots and that the roots come out. Then you can cut them. For local vegetable which are harvested weekly, make sure you break the leaves cleanly to avoid damage to the whole crop.

You also have to make them look presentable so that people will want to buy them. Make them look good.

]]>https://graduatefarmer.co.ke/2018/11/23/how-to-succeed-in-vegetable-farming/feed/17487Critical harvest and handling factors you should considerhttps://graduatefarmer.co.ke/2018/11/05/critical-harvest-and-handling-factors-you-should-consider/
https://graduatefarmer.co.ke/2018/11/05/critical-harvest-and-handling-factors-you-should-consider/#commentsMon, 05 Nov 2018 13:01:42 +0000https://graduatefarmer.co.ke/?p=7474When most people in Kenya get into farming for the first time they tend to overlook a lot of things. One of those things are the specifics of harvesting and storage.

Critical harvest and handling factors for fruits and vegetables involve two overlapping considerations; the first includes maintaining product quality, while the second is ensuring food safety.

All fruits and vegetables should be handled carefully to avoid bruises, skinning, damage due to impact and compression injury, and friction damage. Farmers in Kenya must be trained to harvest produce without causing damage. Injuries can occur at the time of harvest if care is not taken. These injuries can include finger bruises, inappropriate removal of plant parts, e.g. stems from the fruit, and impact bruising if produce is dropped into picking containers. Finger bruising of produce e.g. strawberries, may not show up for several hours. Even short drops can damage fruits and vegetables.

Containers used for produce should be clean to avoid any possibility of chemical contamination. High pressure wash, rinse, and sanitize all containers prior to use. Clean containers should be covered to avoid contamination after cleaning. Containers should not have rough surfaces that can damage produce. Damaged or spoiled produce should be left in the field to reduce contamination by decay organisms. Containers must be appropriate for the product; shallow for soft fruit, for example, to avoid compression damage. Over-filling of containers can further damage product, and increase damage if containers are stacked.

Most fruits and vegetables are damaged by heat and sunlight after harvest, and storage potential of short lived and highly perishable products can be greatly reduced. When possible, highly perishable fruits and vegetables should be harvested during the morning when product temperatures are lowest. Harvesting early in the day can be especially important if refrigeration capacity is limited. One exception is watermelon where it is recommended that harvest is later in the day to reduce chances of cracking.

Regardless, produce should be moved out of the farm as efficiently as possible, with frequent trips to avoid rapid warming of produce on the top layers of containers. If produce cannot be taken directly to a packing shed/store you should provide a temporary shade to prevent excessive warming. A number of approaches can be taken including:

Providing shade in the field by utilizing shady areas under plants/trees but remember that shady areas change during the day. Make sure to cover the containers.

You can construct a temporary shade net structure for putting vegetables under such circumstances.

For short trips to your local market, use covered trucks to transport produce from the field.

Fruits and vegetables should be transported carefully to avoid damage. In addition to impact damage that can occur by allowing fruits and vegetables to bounce around, friction damage can occur as a result of products moving against each other and against container walls.

All produce should be washed before selling to the consumer. However if you are selling to brokers, you can load it to their trucks directly from the farm. There is also risk of washing produce in bulk which may spread decay-causing organisms and reduce shelf life.

]]>https://graduatefarmer.co.ke/2018/11/05/critical-harvest-and-handling-factors-you-should-consider/feed/37474The best time to run your sprinklershttps://graduatefarmer.co.ke/2018/10/26/the-best-time-to-run-your-sprinklers/
https://graduatefarmer.co.ke/2018/10/26/the-best-time-to-run-your-sprinklers/#commentsFri, 26 Oct 2018 11:44:40 +0000https://graduatefarmer.co.ke/?p=7459If you use sprinklers to irrigate your farm, then it is very important that you use them effectively. Good use of sprinklers can in fact save water while helping your vegetables to grow even better.

Always make sure your sprinklers are in good working order at the start of the dry season. You can get the help of a local plumbing expert to check and confirm that everything is in good working order. If you are a “Do it yourself” kind of person you can check the performance of your sprinklers on your own. This will involve testing flow and ability to throw water, along with ensuring that there are no broken pieces which need to be attended to. Should anything be broken or out of order, then it can be taken care of before you begin.

Most people usually use a tank alone to achieve pressure which fails to give good ranges with sprinklers. If possible, you should consider connecting your sprinklers to water pumps for more pressure and a good range. These will not be available for every farm, but those who have the options should definitely take it. Using pressure is generally quicker as well and gets the job done on time thus saving power or fuel.

The right time to use your sprinklers

Another good thing to do with your sprinklers is set them to go off early in the morning and in the evening. Using your sprinklers during the day is ill advised, especially in dry areas in Kenya

Watering your farm early in the morning will provide you with the greatest results for having healthy crops because the water will be able to soak into the ground before it evaporates. If you don’t like waking up early to turn on your sprinkler, consider investing in an automatic timer. A timer will allow you to set the time period you want to start irrigation. It will sprinkler to run during this time, and it will let you sleep peacefully. A timer is also very useful especially when you are travelling and you don’t have anyone to take care of your farm.

If you don’t want to invest in a timer, there is the option of watering your farm in the evening between 4pm-6pm. Avoid running your sprinklers at night due to puddles that can form at night instead of draining properly with help from the sun.

Kenyan smallholder farmers face a challenge when accessing loans and financing from banks and other financial institutions. Financial institutions cite the high risk nature of the agricultural sector as a major catalyst to their shying off from offering loans. Lack of farm records on sales also scares off the financial institutions. It is common knowledge that an empty hand doesn’t get licked.

FarmDrive mobile application was founded in 2014 to provide detailed risk profiles off smallholder farmers to financial institutions. They do this through a credit score, generated by an algorithm which relies on data-sets collected from the farmers through their mobile handsets. When farmers sign up to the platform, either by SMS or the app, they are asked a number of questions that will then generate the farmer’s profile. Such information entails the farmer’s location, crops cultivated, size of the farm and assets.

What is quite phenomenal about this app is the use of psychometric testing to determine a farmer’s character; necessary for proper profiling of the person they are working with. You might be familiar with the 4 Financial Personality Types, money has different utility as per the types. The farmers who qualify for loans, receive the loans via M-Pesa and pay back via M-Pesa. FarmDrive are currently engaging with Planet, a satellite company from Silicon Valley, and The Impact Lab, a Chicago-based data analytics firm to analyze the possibilities of using satellite images in predicting a farmer’s credibility for loans.

DigiFarm

Since its launch on October 2017, DigiFarm has registered on board over 700,000 farmers across nine counties with success stories from Makueni, Uasin Gishu, and Meru. This allows the counties and National government source vital data for planning and resource allocation. DigiFarm is a Safaricom product whose main agenda is to enrich the small-holder farmer. DigiFarm aims to digitize the entire agriculture value chain from producer to final processor. The initial step involves farm profiling. Farm profiling will help in transforming agriculture from the normal “copy paste” type of farming to precision farming; based on the farmer’s soils and ecological conditions.

DigiFarm will provide farmers with access to information to help them understand the farming market structure such as what, when and how to plant to where they can take their harvest. A success story from the bread basket, Uasin Gishu County is the opening of the DigiFarm depot in Burnt Forest town which will provide farm inputs, access to agronomists who will advise the farmers on issues such as soil productivity and quality of seeds to boost yields. DigiFarm has partnerships with FarmDrive and iProcure so as to deliver a wholesome service package to the farmers.

AgroCares

Agrocares is a Dutch AgroTech company that was established back in 2013 in Wageningen under the name SoilCares. AgroCares offers innovative cloud based services & applications in a bid to promote precision farming. It measures real-time data on nutrients and other key parameters in soil (SoilCares), in feed (FeedCares) and in leaf (LeafCares) which ultimately leads to sustainable yield and production quality also increases.

AgroCares has also developed a Scoutbox to identify and count harmful insects in greenhouses (InsectCares). They use their in-house monitoring tools and their mobile applications provide farmers with on-the-spot, fast, integrable and reliable data and customizable farm management recommendations. Innovation being key in their business model, AgroCares combine innovative sensor technology with data mining and modelling. They convert analytical data and sensor data into field and client specific recommendations.

uLima

The uLima application is designed to provide farmers across Africa with a toolset, information libraries, database and access to the latest marketing information. This is in the spirit of information sharing of best agricultural practices across the continent and foster excellence in Agriculture Industry, in which the continent thrives. The app has tailor-made solutions to every farmer in terms of crop calendars, offering step-by-step assistance from planting to post-harvest.

The mobile app provides farmers with access to information on crops, seeds, soil, livestock, agro-chemicals, weather updates and market prices. The application is birthed from a Nairobi-based start-up company and was launched in February 2018 in Mombasa.

Male tilapia fish are used for mono-sex culture because male tilapia grow faster than females. Females use considerable energy in egg production and do not eat when they are incubating eggs. Male mono-sex culture permits the use of longer culture periods, higher stocking rates and fingerlings of any age. High stocking densities reduce individual growth rates, but yields per unit area are greater. If the growing season can be extended, it should be possible to produce fish weighing 454 grams or more. Expected survival for all-male culture is 90 percent or greater.

The percentage of females mistakenly included in a population of mostly male tilapia affects the maximum attainable size of the original stock in grow-out. For example, manually sexed T. nilotica fingerlings (90 percent males) stocked at 3,848/acre will cease growing after 5 months when they average about 365 grams because of competition from recruits. If larger fish are desired, females should comprise 4 percent or less of the original stock and predator fish should be included.

The stocking rate for male mono-sex culture varies from 4,000 to 20,000/ acre or more. At proper feeding rates, densities around 4,000/acre allow the fish to grow rapidly without the need for supplemental aeration. About 6 months are required to produce 500-gram fish from 50-gram fingerlings, with a growth rate of 2.5 grams/day. Total production approaches 1,996 Kg/acre. A stocking rate of 8,000/acre is frequently used to achieve yields as high as 3,992 Kg/acre. At this stocking rate the daily weight gain will range from 1.5 to 2.0 grams. Culture periods of 200 days or more are needed to produce large fish that weigh close to 500 grams.

Stocking rates of 12,000 to 20,000/acre have been used in 1.2 to 2.5-acre ponds, but this requires the continuous use of two to four, one-horse power paddle-wheel aerators per pond. Yields for a single crop range from 6 to 10 tons/acre.

With optimal temperatures, feeding rates depend on fish size and density. Optimal daily feeding rates for fish of 30,50, 100, 175 and 450 grams are 3.5, 3.0, 2.5, 2.0 and 1.5 percent of body weight, respectively. If densities are high, sub-optimal feeding rates may have to be used to maintain suitable water quality, thereby increasing culture duration.

Polyculture

Tilapia are frequently cultured with other species to take advantage of many natural foods available in ponds and to produce a secondary crop, or to control tilapia recruitment. Polyculture uses a combination of species that have different feeding niches to increase overall production without a corresponding increase in the quantity of supplemental feed. Polyculture can improve water quality by creating a better balance among the microbial communities of the pond, resulting in enhanced production. The disadvantage of polyculture is the special equipment (sorting devices, conveyors, etc.) and extra labor needed to sort the different species at harvest. The role of natural pond foods is less important in the intensive culture of all male populations and may not justify the expense of sorting the various species at harvest.

Another type of poylculture involves the use of a predatory fish, such as African Catfish, to reduce tilapia recruit recruitment. Stocking predators with mixed-sex tilapia populations controls recruitment and allows the original stock to attain a larger market size. Predators must be stocked at a small size to prevent them from eating the original stock. Predators may be stocked when tilapia begin breeding.

The number of predators required to control tilapia recruitment in culture ponds depends primarily on the maximum attainable size of the predator species, the ability of the predator to reproduce, and the number of mature female tilapia. In general, as predators grow they eat larger sized tilapia recruits. Eventually this may result in an increasing biomass of small tilapia that are not consumed. However, this problem should not develop in ponds that are completely harvested one or more times a year.

]]>https://graduatefarmer.co.ke/2018/10/19/tilapia-in-farm-ponds-part-2/feed/07436Tilapia in Farm Ponds (Part 1)https://graduatefarmer.co.ke/2018/10/17/tilapia-in-farm-ponds-part-1/
https://graduatefarmer.co.ke/2018/10/17/tilapia-in-farm-ponds-part-1/#respondWed, 17 Oct 2018 10:44:42 +0000https://graduatefarmer.co.ke/?p=7430Do you have a farm pond, dam or water pan on your farm? Try utilizing it by practicing fish farming. You ca do this a savings system or side business depending with your financial needs. One advantage is that the fish are able to utilize natural foods. Management of tilapia ponds ranges from extensive systems, using only organic or inorganic fertilizers, to intensive systems, using high-protein feed, aeration and water exchange.

The major drawback of pond culture is the high level of uncontrolled reproduction that may occur in grow out ponds. Tilapia recruitment, the production of fry and fingerlings, may be so great that offspring compete for food with the adults. The original stock becomes stunted, yielding only a small percentage of marketable fish 454 grams or more. In mixed-sex populations, the weight of recruits may constitute up to 70 percent of the total harvest weight. Two major strategies for producing tilapia in ponds, mixed-sex culture and male mono-sex culture, revolve around controlling spawning and recruitment.

There is no restriction on pond size, but for ease of management and economical operation, shallow (3 to 6 feet), small (1 to 10 acres) ponds with drains are recommended. Draining is necessary to harvest all of the fish. A harvesting sump is needed to concentrate the fish in the final stage of drainage. The pond bottom should be dried to eradicate any fry or fingerlings that may interfere with the next production cycle.

Geographic range for culturing tilapia in ponds is dependent upon temperature. The preferred temperature range for optimum tilapia growth is 27° to 30° C. Growth diminishes significantly at temperatures below 20° C and death will occur below 10° C. At temperatures below 12° C, tilapia lose their resistance to disease and are subject to infections by bacteria, fungi and parasites.

Mixed-sex culture

Mixed-sex populations of fry are cultured together and harvested before or soon after they reach sexual maturity, thereby eliminating or minimizing recruitment and over-crowding. A restricted culture period limits the size of fish that can be harvested.

In mixed-sex culture, tilapia are usually stocked at low rates to reduce competition for food and promote rapid growth. One month-old, l-gram fry are stocked at 2,000 to 6,000 per acre into grow out ponds for a 4 to 5 month culture period. Newly-hatched fry should be used because older, stunted fish, such as those held over winter, will reach sexual maturity at a smaller, unmarketable size. Supplemental feeds with 25 to 32 percent protein are generally used. At harvest, average weight is approximately 220 grams, and total production is near 635 Kgs/acre for a stocking rate of 4,000/acre. Expected survival is roughly 70 percent.

Species such as Tilapia zilli, T. hornorum, or T. mossambica are not suitable for mixed-sex culture because they reproduce at an age of 2 to 3 months and at an unmarketable size of 30 grams or less. Tilapia suitable for mixed-sex culture are T. aurea, T. nilotica and their hybrids, all of which reproduce at an age of 5 to 6 months.

Two to three crops of fish can be produced annually in the tropics compared to only one crop in temperate regions. In temperate regions, mixed-sex culture is referred to as young-of-the-year culture because fry produced in the spring are grown to marketable size by autumn. Early spawning is needed to maximize the grow-out period. The grow-out season is shortened by about 2 months to account for spawning and rearing of l-gram fry for stocking grow-out ponds.

Male fingerling rearing

With male monosex culture, fry are usually reared to fingerling size in a nursery phase, and then male fingerlings are separated from females for final growout. All-male fingerlings can be obtained by three methods: hybridization, sex-reversal and manual sexing. None of these methods is consistently 100 percent effective, and thus a combination of methods is suggested. Hybridization may be used to produce a high percentage of male fish. The hybrids may then be manually sexed or subjected to a sex-reversal treatment. All three methods are sometimes used. Hybridization and sex-reversal reduce the number of female fingerlings that must be discarded during manual sexing. This saves time, space and feed. Problems nevertheless still exist with hybridization and sex-reversal. Producing sufficient numbers of hybrid fry maybe difficult because of spawning incompatibilities between the parent species.

Sex-reversal is more technically complicated and requires obtaining recently hatched fry and rearing them in tanks with high quality water. Both hybridization and sex reversal may produce less than 100 percent males. Manual sexing is commonly used by producers. Manual sexing (hand sexing) is the process of separating males from females by visual inspection of the external urogenital pores, often with the aid of dye applied to the papillae. Secondary sex characteristics may also be used to help distinguish sex. Reliability of sexing depends on the skill of the workers, the species to be sorted and its size. Experienced workers can reliably sex 15-gram fingerling T. hornorum and T. mossambica, 30-gram T. nilotica, and 50-gram T. aurea.

Fry of 1 gram or less are stocked in nursery ponds and fed high-quality feeds. Ponds stocked at 20,000 fry/acre will produce 100-gram fingerlings in 18 weeks, while 40,000 fry/acre will produce 50-gram fingerlings in 12 weeks, and 72,000 fry/acre will produce 27-gram fingerlings in 9 weeks.

]]>https://graduatefarmer.co.ke/2018/10/17/tilapia-in-farm-ponds-part-1/feed/07430World’s First Floating Dairy Farmhttps://graduatefarmer.co.ke/2018/09/26/worlds-first-floating-dairy-farm/
https://graduatefarmer.co.ke/2018/09/26/worlds-first-floating-dairy-farm/#respondWed, 26 Sep 2018 13:51:58 +0000https://graduatefarmer.co.ke/?p=7413Three Dutch companies have teamed up to establish a “floating dairy farm”, which will be used to supply fresh dairy produce to the city of Rotterdam and could reduce the amount of space needed to rear cattle by up to 50-fold when compared to similar installations on land.

Courage, the innovation institute of the Dutch agriculture and dairy sector; city farming innovator Uit Je Eigen Stad; and floating concepts company Beladon have come together on the project, which will house a herd of 60 cows. It will be used to produce milk, cheese, butter, cream and yogurt.

Each cow will have around 160 square feet of space – more than most land-based dairy farms – while being contained within a space 30–50 times smaller.

The project is an experiment in urban self-sufficiency, with the companies aiming to establish whether it’s possible for an entire city to become entirely self-reliant in terms of food production and waste, clean water, and power.

In addition to an operational dairy farm, the platform will also serve as a high-tech, living laboratory where the floating farm can join together with several technical partners to research more efficient processes for food production, waste and water treatment.

We are a true living laboratorium , very transparent to visitors where research companies and universities are welcome to test and experiment on sustainable, self-sufficient dairy farm production. We encourage partners to help create better products and a better, cleaner, healthier world. – Project Team

The main advantage, it added, would be to bring the dairy producer and consumer closer together.

“Floating Farm is producing and handling fresh milk, very close to the consumers in the city, [and turning them into] fresh dairy products. We reduce the transport and logistics and save the environment with [respect to] greenhouse gasses.

“The power of healthy food is obvious. We know that many parts of the world still suffer from malnutrition. With our Floating Farm we can produce nutritious dairy products close to consumers in all cities that are in the proximity of water. We can train and educate local staff to operate the farm. By producing and selling day-fresh food close to the consumers, we reduce the logistic chain immensely.”

Graft plant has 2 parts. Lower portion is from the seedling and is called rootstock. Upper portion is from the mother plant and is called scion. Rootstock should be a sturdy disease free seedling with a strong tap root system. For mango grafts bigger mango stones of wild variety are sown in beds. These produce stout seedlings.

Scion should be a matured stem from fresh growth of the mother plant. It should have a dormant bulged vegetative epical bud. Scion should be free from diseases and insects like stem borer. It is better to cut off the leaves of the scion on the mother plant itself 4 days before separation. Do not pluck the leaves. But cut it off retaining the stock of the leaf on the stem itself. Use only the fresh scions for grafting. However, it can be stored in a wet gunny bag for 2 days.

The principle of grafting is same in all the methods. Two stems will join if the cambium cell layers of both stems are tied together after giving level cuts. In another method roots are induced on the stem to get independent plant. Many methods of grafting are in practice based on this basic principle.

Approach Grafting

This is an age old method of grafting. This is in practice in important crop plants like mango etc. Search a twig of the mother plant which matches with the stem of the seedling in size. In commercial nurseries, the nursery of dwarf mother plants are maintained for the purpose of approach grafting. Otherwise a platform is put to facilitate grafting. Bring both the stems together and put marks. Then give level cuts of 2 inches on both the stems. Let the cuts be of 30 to 40 percent of the thickness of the stems. Use sharp knife to give level cuts. Do not damage the stems with a blunt knife. This point applies to all methods of grafting. Then keep both the stems together and tie with plastic tape. This tape avoids the entry of air and water inside the graft joint and avoids drying. Tying jute thread is necessary in this approach graft since both the stems are thick and stout.

The beginning of the rainy season is the ideal time for approach grafting this is usually between April and July in Kenya. Graft takes 2 to 3 months for healing. During that period seedlings need watering. It is easy if the rain does that job. Give vertical cut on the scion below the graft joint after the union seems perfect. Give one deeper cut after one week. This brings down the dependence of the scion on the mother plant. Scion starts absorbing water and nutrients from the seedling through the graft joint. Then separate the graft from the mother plant. Cut off the seedling above the graft joint. Keep on removing the sprouts on the rootstock below the union.

We can get a bigger plant in approach grafting by selecting bigger shoot for grafting. But we can produce limited number of plants in this method. Due to the heavier upper portion sometimes the approach graft plant bends and breaks at the graft union. Watering the seedlings is a difficult task on a large scale if the rain stops. Because of all these reasons approach grafting is not being practiced by commercial nurseries.

What we are using here is a common plastic strip. It is not a gum tape. Soft stretchable plastic of medium thickness is folded and cut for 1 inch width. This plastic strip avoids air and water entering the graft joint. Remove the tape after the graft union heals completely and the plant starts growing. Otherwise it makes constriction and limits the growth. The plant may even die. This point applies to all the methods of grafting.

Stone grafting

The commercial nurseries producing grafts in large numbers follow stone grafting. Though this is a simple method, the success rate depends on the skill of the grafter. Stone grafting is commonly practiced in mango, cashew etc. Sow the stones in beds with loose soil. Seedlings will lose the tap root while pulling it out if the soil is hard. Uproot the copper colored (in case of mango) young seedlings with entire root and the stone attached. Cut of the stem leaving 2 to 3 inches above the stone. Make a slit of 1 inch with a sharp knife. Select a scion of 4 inches in length and of pencil thickness. Give slant cut on both sides of the scion. Keep the scion in the slit of the rootstock and tie with the plastic strip. Only the plastic is enough to hold the union since the rootstock is soft. Make the packing air tight. Plant this tiny graft plant in a poly bag filled with potting mixture. Put a polythene pouch on the scion and keep the graft in a poly house.

Stone graft kept in an open place will fail. But in a greenhouse house the success rate is 70 to 80% in mango. Scion fails to sprout if the rootstock with leaves turned in to green is used. Graft fails to sprout if the stone is detached while pulling it out from the bed or at the time of grafting. The reason is the stone is the source of food for the graft plant till the scion produces green leaves. Successful graft starts sprouting in 2 to 3 weeks. Then take out the polythene pouch on the scion. Cut off the plastic strip once the union is perfect and the graft grows fast. Keep on removing the sprouts below the graft joint.

Softwood grafting

Now let us study the most popular method of grafting called soft wood grafting. This is in practice in mango, jackfruit, cashew, tamarind and in many more plants. We will take mango to explain the method. Grow seedling in a polythene bag for one season. Even the older plant is useful. Grafting is on the green-soft portion of the plant. Hence it is called soft wood grafting. The grafting method is as usual. Cut off the rootstock above the green portion of the stem. Keep few leaves below. Make a slit of 1 to 2-inch length. Give slant cut on both sides of the scion. Then keep the scion in the slit of the rootstock and tie with the plastic strip. Plastic is enough to keep the joint intact since the stem is soft. Ensure that the packing is made airtight.